1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of network data processing systems. More particularly, the invention relates to an architecture and method for extracting calendar events from free-form email.
2. Description of Related Art
Parents with kids and especially mothers (a.k.a. working moms or “soccer moms”) are today inundated with email messages that contain information related to scheduled events such as sports practice and game schedules, ballet classes, piano lessons, etc. This introduces a time consuming challenge for parents to keep current with all of these email messages. For example, to maintain an up-to-date calendar, parents must open the email messages, open the attached documents, read the email messages/documents and then manually and precisely create each calendar event in the calendaring application of choice.
In addition, many parents do not always have their computer on all the time since they are busy bussing their kids around from one activity to another. Hence, time-urgent email messages with schedule change notifications sometime get missed or read too late.
Furthermore, parents and caretakers sometimes need the same calendar entry so that all stakeholders are aware of the activity. Hence there is a need to create the same calendar entry across multiple calendars.
Currently, Google® provides techniques for scheduling calendar events using Google Mail (Gmail) messages. For example, in some limited circumstances, Gmail is capable of detecting calendar events within an email message and displaying an “add to calendar” link when a calendar event is detected. Upon selecting the “add to calendar” link, the calendar event is added to the Gmail user's calendar.
However, in order for Gmail to properly detect a calendar event, the email message text comply with a strict data format. If the text is not arranged in this specific manner, Gmail will be unable to detect a calendar event. Given the fact that most email messages related to scheduling will not comply with the Gmail format (and, in fact, may include attachments and/or images with scheduling data), the Gmail system will not detect the calendar events in these email messages.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for detecting calendar events in free-form email messages and attachments which do not comply with a predetermined calendaring format.